DGCA allows Jet Airways’ Boeing 737 pilots to use iPads

Over 1,000 pilots of Jet Airways Boeing 737 fleet are all set to go digital with the aviation regulator DGCA allowing the private airline to switch over to use of iPads from the from voluminous printed documents in the cockpit for flight operations. As of now, these pilots are required to take numerous documents with them, including navigational charts, a flight operations manual, a minimum equipment list, among others, on each flight they operate as part of the DGCA regulations.

The iPads will come pre-loaded with documents and performance charts that pilots normally have to fill out as well as an on-board performance tool allowing them to gauge the aircraft’s operating parameters with extreme accuracy, Jet Airways said in a release. Jet Airways has already trained 500 crew to operate the iPad as part of the first phase of the switch. The remaining pilots would be provided with the new electronic gadget in a phased manner over the next six to eight months, the airline said on Wednesday.

The Mumbai-headquartered airline has over 1,000 pilots operating its narrow body B737 planes. The airline has 77 such planes in the fleet. “With the introduction of the iPad, we are giving our pilots the tools to operate the aircraft more efficiently, safely and sustainably, all of which add up towards ensuring an even more exceptional flying experience for our guests,” Jet Airways senior vice president for operations Nikhil Ved said.

The airline will thus become one of the first domestic carriers to issue iPads to all its pilots across its Boeing 737 fleet, having received clearance from the DGCA, it said.